Travis Larson Band -- Travis Larson FAQ

Travis Larson

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

My first real exposure to music was 70s stuff. The Stones were huge then. Elton John. The progressive thing was also big, so my early influences on piano, what I started on, were acts like ELP, Herbie Hancock, and then Pink Floyd, Rush... More guitar oriented bands. When I heard Jeff Beck I decided "that's what I want to do".

Who are some of your more recent musical influences?

The most obvious influence in my playing, I think, is Steve Morse. He's the measuring stick for song writing and technique. I'm still working on both (laughs). I also really like the way Steve Lukather plays. Vai is great. I guess I really like anyone named Steve (laughs). Jeff Beck always still inspires me. His attention to feel and creating a mood with note choices and bends knocks me on my butt every time.

What 's in your CD player right now?

It's in constant rotation. For just hanging out I still love the Stones. I love Luke (Steve Lukather). Also, anything from Rush gets played pretty often. For newer stuff I really dig the Foo Fighters. Tight band. Then there's all my pals. Dave Martone has put out some amazing stuff on his latest couple records. Really fresh! Doug Johns is one of the most musical solo bass players I've heard. Lots of non-commercial stuff lately.

What kind of effects do you use?

I use a Digitech GSP1101 on the new live record and DVD. All Lexicon reverbs and delays. I wrote the last record almost entirely with a GNX4. It's a great all in one tool. I've got a Shadow midi converter and Kurzweil brain for adding keyboard pads. Generally I don't use a whole lot of stuff on my main sound except for some stereo delay. I bring a little delay in for the leads that sustain and sing - to smooth them out. I have an _expression pedal to fade in the amount I want, ala Steve Morse's set up. I think he came up with the best way to use effects live. It keeps everything flowing, rather than clicking effects on and off for wet sound and dry sound.

What's your current main guitar?

Ernie Ball MusicMan. I use the John Petrucci BFR model mostly. I'm playing the one with the custom tremolo that has a piezo pickup wired inside it. With that I can play all the steel string parts from the albums at live shows. I have the piezo pickup running through a volume pedal, to a DI, then directly to the PA. I also use the 25th Anniversary MusicMan a bunch. It has a lot of tonal options and works great for less distorted sounds. Things with a bit of the gain rolled off for more expression. My 20th Anniversary Silhouette is also really nice for tasty playing.

What about acoustic?

Carvin built me a beautiful custom steel string acoustic/electric. This thing totally rocks. I used it for all the acoustic parts on Suspension and most of the Burn Season record. I also still use the Chet Atkins nylon string for classical style. For live performance with the band, I use the piezo pickup on my MusicMan most of the time. I actually used the piezo for the acoustic song "Good and the Bad" on the new record.

What's your amp setup like these days?

I'm running the 1101 preamp into an all tube stereo power amp through two custom 4x12 cabs with Electrovoice 12L speakers. All my tone comes from the GSP 1101. For the midi guitar and piezo pickup I use an Electrovoice P1200 power amp and a couple of EV SX250 full range cabinets.

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